"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. [Selah in Hebrew means “pause and ponder this!”]Psalms 89:3-4 ; "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David [in the Hebrew New Testament it’s written - Yeshua HaMashiach ben David], the son of Abraham."Matthew 1:1

New Testament genealogies of Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Jesus the Christ) all identify Him as the son of king David. It was universally understood from the Tenach (OT) that the messiah would be descended from David and that he would restore the Davidic monarchy to its ultimate and most universal expression, even that this king would reign and sit on the throne forever. Why was Jesus' identification with David so significant? One reason is that David is the only man in the Bible about whom the Lord said, this is “a man after My own heart”. Yet we know well David's imperfections ... adultery and murder -- so why would God say this about him? I believe it was David's lifelong love for and abandoned worship of the Lord, and also his contrite heart (Ps. 51) and the depth of his sorrow and repentance which showed this relationship to be the most important and precious in his life. God isn’t expecting perfection from us -- His Son has provided that. Jesus alone is the Man whose heart and actions are flawless. But David exemplified a man whose love and respect for his God were constant, if imperfect, a man after God's own heart. And this is the heart that God is seeking today, contrite, worshipful, and filled with respect and love for our God. Brothers & Sisters, David provides a wonderful example for us who are as imperfect as he was. We may fall and fail miserably – but its how we get up that makes the difference. Our constant desire to preserve this most precious of all relationships will show that we too have a heart after God. I know I want to hear Him say, "Yes, you are truly someone after my own heart!" HAVE A HEART AFTER GOD!

"Therefore I say to you, Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them."Mark 11:24

Charles Spurgeon wrote "Prayer pulls the rope below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly. Others give but an occasional pluck at the rope. But he who wins with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously, with all his might." Some might take this to mean that we need to beg and plead desperately for God to answer our prayers. I don't think so. I believe that we must pray, expecting for God to bring the answer and do the work because, among many other reasons, He is faithful, just and loves us with an everlasting love! Brothers & Sisters , raise your expectations today! Expect God to do something great and we'll believe along with you to see mighty breakthroughs! RAISE YOUR EXPECTATIONS!

"But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."Matthew 23:11-12

Jesus began His earthly ministry by being baptized in the Jordan river. The word Jordan in Hebrew is "Yarden" and its root is "yarad". It literally means to descend, which would make sense being that the Jordan descends from over 8,000 feet from Mount Hermon to the Dead Sea which sits more than 1,000 feet below sea level. If we truly want to walk in the fullness of the Lord, we have to follow the example that Jesus set before us. Jesus descended from Heaven, He descended from glory, was baptized in the Jordan and fulfilled the calling that the Father bestowed upon Him by being our perfect sacrifice on Calvary. Jesus totally and completely surrendered Himself to do His Father's will. We too, must descend and surrender all that we are and all we have been given. We must truly give our lives, not for our own glory, but for His. Until we do that, we'll never be able to see all the blessings and opportunities the Lord has prepared for us since the foundation of the world. Brothers & Sisters, let's learn a lesson from the Yarden today. When we descend, we'll be lifted up! We'll see the blessings freely flow from a Heavenly source which will never run dry! DESCEND!

"If you will not believe, surely you will not be established."Isaiah 7:9b

This passage in Isaiah contains a poetic play on words which is lost to any reader but one who understands Hebrew. A word for word translation runs something like this: "If not you will believe (lo ta-aminoo), surely not you will be established (lo te-amenoo).” The three letter Hebrew root – "aleph"- "mem"- "nun", is the same in both words, and the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah is clearly playing on this root to emphasize His point. The same root letters are also used in the spelling for the familiar word "Amen" which literally means "truthfully". A study of the root of the Hebrew word for "Amen" reveals numerous related meanings: "le-heet-amen", "to practice or exercise" and "le-ha-amin", "to believe". And finally, the same root is found in the Hebrew word for "faith", "emunah". Simply through the inter-relationships of these similarly rooted words, it's not hard to see that real faith is intimately connected to real practice or exercise. James put it simply, "Faith without works is dead". True faith is an active faith, practicing faith, faith that is exercised-- and finally, faith that is truthful. Brothers & Sisters, this passage speaks of being established. How are you established in your walk? By practicing and exercising your faith truthfully...simple as that. Can you say "Amen" to that? CAN YOU LIVE OUT AN AMEN?!

"Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets."Luke 9:16-17

The disciples worried -- we only have five small loaves and two fishes! Whatever will we do?? Five loaves and two fishes could never feed the multitudes in the natural realm! But we have a God who is in the multiplication business! He works on an entirely different mathematical equation than we are accustomed to -- He takes the little we offer and turns it into more than we could fathom! How often do we feel as if we have little to offer? The Lord is interested in everything we have to give, even if it seems minuscule to our eyes! Brothers & Sisters, let's not be afraid to offer up our gifts, talents, abilities, accomplishments and material things that we may find insignificant. They are not! When we give up even the littlest of things to the Lord, He brings forth an abundance! TAKE PART IN DIVINE MULTIPLICATION!

"Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."Matthew 11:28-30

Many people take vacations because they're exhausted from working, and need an extended rest to be restored and revitalized. Yet, ironically, more often than not, when they return home, they feel the need for another break to recover from the vacation they just took! Something is missing ... and I think it has to do with the essence of Jesus' invitation, "Come unto me..." Our relationship with Jesus contains a promise of rest. His yoke is not a heavy yoke of "religious" performance, but an invitation to an intimate relationship which is restful and truly empowering. His joy will be our strength, and serving Him in that relationship will not make us weary or worn out, but actually invigorate, revitalize and re-energize us IF we are doing it with His help, His power. When Jesus was here on earth He was surrounded by those who were constantly in need. He faced harsh opposition, and rarely found any privacy. And even in those private times, when he secluded himself for rest -- we read that He didn't sleep, but rather He prayed through the night. Jesus found His deepest rest in the presence of His Father. Brothers & Sisters, now, there's nothing wrong with vacations, and we all really do need to disconnect from our work routine from time to time, but are you feeling worn out or weary, or even close to "burn-out"? Then it's time to renew and refresh your relationship and allow Jesus to give you His rest. Wait on the Lord, He will renew your strength, and His rest will restore your weary soul, revitalize your body, and empower you to continue in the vision and calling He gave to you. Find your rest in Him this weekend! ARE YOU FEELING WORN OUT AND WEARY?

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."Acts 3:19-21

The word for "restitution" in this passage is the Greek word - "apokatastasis". This is the one and only place it is found in the New Testament. The word literally means to "restore again" or "to repair". The plan of God in sending His Son Jesus was to restore that which had been broken and ruined. The Lord's saving work is a global repair job. Each one of us has come to Him already ruined by sin. But God's will and His promise are to restore and renew us through His Son. This restoration process isn't a one-sided affair. Having been initiated by the Lord, it requires of us humans, one essential response - that is repentance. The passage above draws a clear parallel between repentance and refreshing. Anyone who has walked with the Lord for a while knows this well. Repentance brings refreshment, over and over......and over again. Brothers & Sisters, allow yourself to be refreshed...seek the Lord today and let Him show you where you need repentance. Then, go ahead and make the turn, and watch how quickly and beautifully you'll be restored, repaired and refreshed. Make it a daily habit, and you'll find yourself living in a state of revival! LET THE RESTORATION BEGIN!

"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."Revelation 7:17

Wells are used to extract water from the ground below as we all know. Nowadays, there are built-in filters to sift out unwanted particles that could clog the pipe that leads from the water source to the well. But back in Abraham's time when these wells were built, I'm not so sure. The reason those wells needed to be re-excavated was that over the years, dirt and debris had filled them and water and could no longer flow freely in. I think some of us are ancient wells, built without filters. We have allowed all kinds of sin particles to pass through and linger until we have become dry and barren. It's time to dig -- dig down as deep as we can go -- sort through all that dross -- till we find the Water source. And once we get there, we need to get our wells cleansed and purified, and build our filters so this doesn't happen again. If we're going to do this job right, unfortunately, it won't be easy -- digging is hard work! But it will be well worth it! Brothers & Sisters, let's get away with the Lord today. That's a number one priority. We need to get some time alone with Him. Fight for it if that's what you need to do. But we need it!! He wants to help us do the digging. He wants to break the strongholds of sin upon us. He wants to get that living water flowing through us again! WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."Luke 24:49

Knowing He was about to depart, Jesus left His disciples with a final command: stay in Jerusalem, and wait...for the promise. Of the thousands who had witnessed His miraculous ministry and heard His amazing teaching and the hundreds that had actually seen Him after the resurrection, we read in Acts that only 120 stayed and tarried until the promise arrived. But these 120 were steadfast. They waited the full term... What would have happened if they had left after the 4th day? Or the 6th day? Or the 9th day? They would have missed the promise and the amazing blessing that came with it. But those 120 believers stayed - they stayed and pressed in until the Holy Spirit came! Brothers & Sisters, do you want the fullness of the Spirit in your life? Continue pressing in. Wait with relentless faith and patience. Perseverance is often the critical factor in receiving the promises of God. Our Lord will fulfill every good promise in His perfect time. FOLLOW THROUGH!

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."John 10:10

A study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of California Los Angeles wanted to find out, "if you had to choose between more time and more money, what would it be?" While they found most respondents answered, "more money", they also found that those who preferred "more time" were generally happier! When I read this article, it reminded me of a story, that I'd like to share. A wealthy businessman was shocked to see a fisherman sitting beside his boat, playing with a small child. So the businessman asked, "Why aren't you out fishing?" The fisherman replied, "Because I've caught enough fish for one day." "Why don't you catch some more?" the businessman further inquired. "What would I do with them?" asked the fisherman. "You could earn more money," said the businessman. "Then with the extra money, you could buy a bigger boat, go into deeper waters, and catch more fish. Then you would make enough money to buy nylon nets. With the nets, you could catch even more fish and make more money. With that money you could own two boats, maybe three boats. Eventually you could have a whole fleet of boats and be rich like me." "Then what would I do?" replied the fisherman. "Then you could really enjoy life," answered the businessman. The fisherman looked at the businessman quizzically and asked, "What do you think I'm doing now?" Brothers & Sisters, let's not get so wrapped up in work, that we simply forget to enjoy life – the life that He wants to give us more abundantly! Take some time out this weekend and be sure to praise God for the life that He's provided. BE SURE TO ENJOY LIFE!

"Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."1 John 4:4

While John warned against deception in the last days, and we should be mindful and discerning the times in which we live, keenly aware of the rise of the spirit of Antichrist -- he also gave us encouragement: "...you have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." The children of Israel failed their tests in the wilderness because they consistently forgot who their God was -- and is! Since He actually dwells within us now, let's not repeat their mistake! Brothers & Sisters, so, being an over-comer in these last days is not only knowing who your enemy is – BUT NEVER forgetting who YOUR GOD IS! Spend your weekend resting in the peace and confidence that greater is He that is in you, and that no evil of any kind can gainsay the victory that He has already won. GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU!

"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward."Exodus 14:14-15

The Lord spoke to Moses, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt to be desperately cornered with the Red sea before them and Pharaoh's chariots advancing upon them from behind. Overwhelmed with terror they cry out to Moses, "It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Having just miraculously escaped from the miserable life of slavery, and only beginning their new life of freedom, the children of Israel were faced with the direst threat to their existence. This test of their faith, to trust God for their very survival, followed only a few days after the young nation's astounding deliverance. Could it really be that God had brought them out just to have them recaptured and returned to the slave camps or be slaughtered by Pharaoh's army and be food for vultures? We, who have been delivered from a life of slavery from sin, may also quickly be faced with massive and overwhelming trials, and we may cry out desperately to God, "Is this what you delivered me for !!??" How is it that the enemy, having lost his hold on us, will often make furious attempts to reclaim or even destroy us? Yet he is relentless, especially when he has just suffered a crushing defeat. Now the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward." No, you were not delivered to be ensnared, recaptured or slaughtered by the evil one. His final threat will only prove to be his undoing. Brothers & Sisters, go forward, press on! Your trial, your obstacle, the threat against you, is proof of your deliverance, and may just turn into devastating defeat for the one who is set against you. What Israel faced at the Red Sea, what appeared to be their death sentence, suddenly and irrevocably became God's instrument to crush their enemies. "Tell the people of Israel to go forward!' Just do it. The Lord will provide your victory! JUST GO FORWARD!

"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."Hebrews 2:14-15

Over the past few weeks, we've begun a series of devotions based on the Exodus wanderings of the Children of Israel, and their tragic mistakes which we can learn from and avoid. One powerful influence common to their failures was fear. Fear is a terrible motivator and a true slave-master. And it's a source of incalculable sin. Yet, the Lord has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, of power, and a sound mind! [2 Timothy 1:7] The first test came when the Israelites feared death at the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians [Exodus 14:9-14] The Lord heard their cry, opened the Red Sea and made a way of escape. Nevertheless, time and again the children of Israel became fearful of death, and this is why they failed miserably in the wilderness. But this bondage to the fear of death can be broken. Jesus has said that He holds the keys of hell and death. [Rev. 1:18] Because He Himself was resurrected from the dead, in Him we are no longer in bondage to this fear. If the Egyptian Pharaoh is a type of the antichrist spoken of in John's Revelation, then we may also find there the examples of those who are overcomers, as were Joshua and Caleb in the time of the Exodus. And there they are: "they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." [Rev. 12:11] The martyrs throughout all of history testify to this faith in the Resurrection. Brothers & Sisters, the fear of death must not have its hold upon us. Identifying with Jesus in His death will enable us to live a fear-free life, for there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. [1 John 4:18] Life enters a realm of freedom with this realization: "If you're willing to die for Jesus, then it becomes easy to live for Him!" So instead of wandering fearfully in the wilderness, make it your place of victory over the fear of death. FREE YOURSELF FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH!

"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour."1 John 2:18

For the past two weeks we have examined lessons from the OT account of Israel's Exodus from Egypt in hope of avoiding the errors and attitudes of the children of Israel. This week we will draw connections between the Exodus and the prophecies in the book of Revelation. One of the central figures in the Exodus, was the Egyptian ruler, Pharoah. The Hebrew spelling for "Pharoah" ("peh"-"resh"-"ayin"-"hey") literally describes who the man was. The outside letters ("peh" – "hey") spell the Hebrew word "Peh" which means "mouth" in English. The inner two letters ("resh"-"ayin") form the word "Rah", the name of the ancient Egyptian sun god. So, "Pharoah" in Hebrew, identified him as, "the mouth (or voice) of Rah". But the word "rah" has another meaning in Hebrew, that is, "evil", "wicked", or "bad". Adding this meaning describes someone who speaks with "godlike" authority, yet is evil. We can see here a strong similarity to the "beast" of Revelation 13, as this "beast" was given a mouth to speak blasphemy against God; [Revelation 13:5]. The apostle John warned that antichrists are already here among us, and while we may be aware of the various manifestations of the antichrist spirit in our culture, and elsewhere, we also are expecting a final revelation of a "Man of Sin" known as "The Antichrist". His way is being prepared that the whole world may receive and worship him. Brothers & Sisters, "the whole world", but not true believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah (Jesus the Christ). Yet, not to be deceived as the Lord warned us, [Matthew 24:24] will require spiritual discernment. We must test the spirits, as the Apostle John instructed us: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God..." [1 John 4:1]. Our spirits and our minds must be informed by the Word of God, according to simple and true gospel of Jesus' death for sin, and resurrection from the dead. DISCERN THE SPIRITS!

"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come."1 Corinthians 10:11

Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. Numbers 27:18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. For the past two weeks we've been building life lessons derived from the Exodus wanderings and from Paul's exhortations to the church in Corinth. Notice carefully that Paul says, "these were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come"... ...that is, written for us today! – admonitions from Paul to learn lessons from the history of the children of Israel. Much of what we can learn is how NOT to behave, and what NOT to do. Yet there are also the lessons from the few who were over-comers, Joshua and Caleb particularly. From them, we may grasp what a life of faith, courage, and victory looks like. While people often say that history repeats itself – it doesn't mean that people must repeat history. We do have the option of learning from it, and from those who were the over-comers. In the days of the Exodus, only two adult men actually entered the Promised land, out of the thousands that originally left Egypt – only Joshua and Caleb. What was different about them? They followed God fully – and were of a different spirit. Brothers & Sisters, take these lessons from Israel's history to heart. By learning from their mistakes, and being encouraged by the faithful few, you may avoid repeating (sad) history – and rather, learning from it, enter your own inheritance in the "Promised Land". LEARN A LESSON FROM HISTORY!

"nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer."1 Corinthians 10:10

Numbers 14:36-38 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land. Numbers 16:3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?" Numbers 16:30-32 But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord." Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. Paul exhorts the church at Corinth about grumbling and complaining. He reminds the believers of the judgments that befell the 10 spies who brought a bad report of the land – and were struck down by a plague, and terrible fate of Korah and those aligned with him that came against Moses and Aaron and were swallowed up by the ground under them. How easy is it to fall into grumbling and complaining? It reminds me of an old muppets skit with two old men, Waldorf and Statler. Waldorf: That was wonderful! Statler: Bravo! Waldorf: I loved it! Statler: Ah, it was great! Waldorf: Well, it was pretty good. Statler: Well, it wasn't bad... Waldorf: Uh, there were parts of it that weren't very good though. Statler: It could have been a lot better. Waldorf: I didn't really like it. Statler: It was pretty terrible. Waldorf: It was bad. Statler: It was awful! Waldorf: It was terrible! Statler: Take 'em away! Waldorf: Bah, boo! Statler: Boo! It didn't take long for these two to turn something that was good into something they could complain about. It's especially easy for us to fall into this type of behavior – especially during these times! Brothers & Sisters, however, our calling is to exhort, uplift and bring encouragement to the world! So let's not descend into murmuring or complaining – it did not go well for any who did. DON'T MURMUR!

"We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,"1 Corinthians 10:9

Numbers 21:5-6 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Here we have a stark word. Here we see the Lord testing Israel: "He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you." [Deuteronomy 8:16]. Yet Paul says that they put Him to the test. A great irony occurs when God is testing us, and we despise His discipline, thereby testing Him. The children of Israel once again complained about their physical needs -- despising His provision -- and calling manna "worthless bread!" This behavior crossed a line and stands as a serious warning. God's tests are not without purpose. "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." [Deuteronomy 8:3] Where have we heard that before? What greater life-changing lesson? Israel was the one nation which received the greatest revelation of God's election, His love, and His miraculous power. This election, however, came with commensurate responsibility. God had revealed Himself in massive, and mighty acts, but it was not for entertainment or just to write a great story. It was to shape a nation into people of great character, patience, endurance, and faithfulness. These characteristics belong to God Himself and they are not optional for His people. He will have a people who exemplifies them. For this reason, the discipline of God is necessarily severe when He is put to the test -- whereby He sent serpents to strike the children of Israel for their sin. And many of them died. Yet even this terrible object lesson brought greater revelation to Israel, and to all of us as well, as the Lord instructed Moses to erect a serpent on a pole -- so that whoever looked upon it was healed from the serpent's bite! This we now know was a pre-figuration of the cross of Messiah Jesus. Brothers & Sisters, so, how much complaining will our Lord endure? In the beginning, when we are starting out with Him, and because He is patient, probably a lot. Yet, as we grow and He continues to show us His love and faithful care, His expectations of us will increase and His tests will be more stringent. We should cultivate an attitude of patient endurance when He is testing us, lest we find ourselves turning around in bitterness and testing Him. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." [Hebrews 12:11] DON'T TEST YOUR LIMITS!

"We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day."1 Corinthians 10:8

Numbers 25:1-3 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, he was speaking to a church that was surrounded with sexual immorality. The city of Corinth was a haven of hedonism where many temples hosted hundreds of prostitutes which were visited by vast multitudes of foreigners. In the ancient world, the term "Corinthianize" indicated a life of sexual promiscuity. Paul connects the situation in Corinth with that which is found in Numbers 25. With God's blessing on the young Israelite nation, the prophet Balaam was unable to obey the king of Moab's (Balak) command to curse Israel. But because Balaam was a self-serving prophet, practicing both divination (Numbers 24:1) and giving voice to the words of God, he was willing to advise Balak to seduce the men of Israel with the Moabite women, causing Israel to fall into idolatry which brought God's judgment upon them. (Numbers 31:16) Balaam understood that living in holiness and sexual purity is a great protection, and that fornication and adultery would bring a curse with them. Sexual sin is serious, and it is rampant in our time. There seems to be almost no escaping the temptation of licentiousness at every corner. But C.S. Lewis offered this advice to a friend, still worth heeding as much as possible: "We must learn by experience to avoid either trains of thought or social situations which for us (not necessarily for everyone) lead to temptations. Like motoring (driving) -- don't wait till the last moment before you put on the brakes, but put them on, gently and quietly, while the danger is still a good way off." Brothers & Sisters, the spirit of Corinth is everywhere, as we all can see. The greatest protection is abiding with the Lord in our determination to reject a "Corinthian" life of hedonism (living for pleasure), and to cultivate a godly and beautiful vision of marriage and sexuality, for ourselves and our loved ones. That vision will inspire us to navigate these licentious times, avoid trouble spots, and put on the brakes gently and firmly. BRAKE EARLY!